HURLEY, Miss. — Luke Curtis and Cooper Wright combined on a four-inning no-hitter as the[more] Bryant All-Stars downed the rival Benton Stars 9-0 in pool play at the Cal Ripken 11-year-old Southwest Regional Tournament on Saturday.
On Sunday, Bryant beat Louisiana state champion Twin Rivers, 5-3, before suffering a 5-4 loss that lasted into the wee hours of Monday. They finished pool play 3-1 with their opening win over Madisonville, La., 9-0, in a game highlighted by Brooks Ellis’ home run.
The team was set to begin bracket play today in the rain-plagued tourney, facing a rematch with Twin Rivers.
The Bryant 11-year-old team includes Myers Buck, Luke Curtis, Caleb Dorsey, Brooks Ellis, Joe Green, Christian Harp, Brandon Hoover, Zach Kemp, Dylan Lawhon, Blake Pennington, Grayson Prince, Cameron Vail and Cooper Wright. Manager Jonathan Wright’s assistants are Jimmy Pennington and Tyler Brown.
Curtis worked the first three innings of the no-hitter with Wright finishing up in the fourth.
The Stars got all the runs they’d need in the first when Pennington and Buck drew opening walks, swiped their way to second and third then scored on a two-out single by Dorsey.
In the second, Harp and Hoover walked and, with one out Prince singled in a run. Hoover was thrown out trying to take third but, after Prince stole second and third, he scored to make it 4-0.
Curtis singled and scored on a double by Dorsey in the third. Dorsey stole third then scored as well to make it 6-0.
A walk to Kemp with one out in the fourth started a four-run uprising. He stole second and, after Prince bunted for a hit and took second, Green was hit by a pitch. With two down, Buck singled, Cooper Wright walked and Curtis closed out the inning with a single to make it 10-0, a run-rule win.
A three-run fourth lifted Bryant to victory in the win over Twin Rivers. They’d scored a run in the first when Ellis singled and Curtis doubled him home.
A second run scored in the third on a walk to Buck and base hits by Ellis and Curtis.
In the game-breaking fourth, Harp drew a lead-off walk, Kemp singled to left and Vail beat out a bunt hit. Pennington drew a walk then Buck doubled to bring in two.
No details yet on the game with Mississippi.
